ROCKFORD — District and community leaders are zeroing in on a recommendation for closing Rockford schools, with West View Elementary apparently getting saved from the chopping block.

A new elementary school restructuring plan emerged in recent weeks. The new plan is a variation on one of three proposals shared with the community in May. Each recommended closing some schools and consolidating early-childhood education. Some included building schools. The newest plan closes eight schools and adds two.

Community feedback played a major role in the process, district leaders said, resulting in a better plan for the students, staff and the community at large.

Carolyn Williams, who lives near West View and has a granddaughter in the second grade, was part of that process with more than 1,000 other residents. She attended a handful of meetings in May so she could ask questions, raise concerns and fill out a feedback form.

The district got nearly 700 forms.

Williams greeted the news of West View’s fate with a big smile and a thumbs-up.

“A few years ago we fought to keep the school open, so it was disheartening to hear that they wanted to close it again,” she said. “But now, it’s good news. ... We have a great close-knit school. It’s a reason why people move into the neighborhood.”

The Facilities Task Force Steering Committee, made up of district leaders and community members, spent the past two months poring over the feedback and weighing it against the district’s data on building conditions and operational costs.

“The process we went through to get to where we’re at, with the recommendation we’re bringing forward and the reasons behind some of the changes to the original plan, will be discussed as part of the presentation, and I think those are as important as the changes,” said board member Jude Makulec, who helped lead the task force.

On the calendar

The new plan also keeps kindergarten through fifth grade at Lathrop Elementary instead of turning Lathrop into an early-childhood center. Beyer Elementary would be the new site for prekindergarten, along with Nashold Elementary.

So far, everything else in the original plan stays the same: close Walker, Dennis, King, Kishwaukee, Nelson, Thompson, Cherry Valley and White Swan. The two new schools would be in the areas of Kishwaukee and Nelson schools and Cherry Valley and White Swan schools. Renaissance Gifted for first through fifth grades would move from Washington to the home of the Maria Montessori program, 4704 N. Rockton Ave., creating a gifted campus on the far northwest side with Thurgood Marshall School, 4664 N. Rockton Ave., home of the gifted middle school. The Montessori program would move to Marsh Elementary.

Page 2 of 2 - The task force plans to make an official recommendation July 8 to the School Board.

After the presentation to the School Board, the task force will host one more informational meeting for the public: 6 p.m. July 22 at the Rockford School District’s administrative offices, 501 Seventh St.

True community plan

Ultimately, the decision on which schools to close and where to build rests with the School Board, which is expected to vote on the recommendation Aug. 12.

The board could adopt changes of its own, but Superintendent Ehren Jarrett doesn’t think that’s likely. He praised the group for its work this past year, especially the past two months.

“It really shows and reflects the high level of community participation we’ve had in the process,” he said. “We’ve been spending over a year getting all kinds of input, from the visioning stage early on all the way to the very specific feedback on the plan. ... It’s a better plan as a result of that feedback. When it comes forth, it will truly be a community plan.

“I’m confident that investing in West View, after looking at the whole plan, is a good decision for the district. I expect the board will support the task force’s upcoming recommendation because I think it’s what’s best for staff, students and the community.”

No changes next year

The district is in the process of adopting a 10-year, $250 million facilities plan, which entails demolishing underutilized and older high-maintenance schools, and making renovations or additions to others.

Most of the money comes from a $139 million bond issue approved by voters in 2012. About $50 million is coming from cash reserves.

According to the district’s plan, fewer elementary schools would mean more resources dedicated to each school. Schools would contain more students, but class sizes and the number of teachers and classroom support staff would remain the same.

No changes are expected for the 2014-15 school year. The plan would be phased in over time starting with the 2015-16 school year.

The district has 28 zoned elementary schools, four magnet/choice schools and three early-childhood centers — 35 schools for children in prekindergarten through fifth grade. Closing eight and building two would take that number to 29.